Money sparks MADD rift

Apr. 19, 2010

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Some Nevadans working locally for Mothers Against Drunk Driving have split from the national organization, saying money they raised here was sent to the national headquarters instead of being used for local programs to stop drunken driving.

But Debbie Wier, the chief operating officer at the Irving, Texas-based MADD, defended the organization's financial decisions, saying it is "one consolidated legal entity" that raises money in 50 states and spends based on resources and need.

A six-month Reno Gazette-Journal investigation into DUI crashes and convictions in Nevada revealed that MADD -- dedicated to eliminating drunken driving, supporting victims of DUI and stopping underage drinking -- has few workers in Nevada and offers fewer programs than available in other states.

MADD's disconnect with Nevada means no advocates help victims with their grief and recovery. Fewer people monitor the courts to ensure proper punishments. And fewer public campaigns and programs aim at curbing impaired driving in a state with 24-hour alcohol availability.

"For one, we've had a number of volunteers who have gotten angry and left," he said. "Also, it's harder to have a strong presence in rural states. It's easier to do where there are more people."

He said he hopes to see that change.

"Can we do a better job in Nevada? You bet we can," he said "With fewer resources, we have concentrated our work in the bigger states like California, New York, Illinois, etc., and at the federal level, because that is where we can save more lives. As the economy improves, we hope to do a better job in the rural states."

MADD workers split

Laurel Stadler, founder of the first MADD chapter in Nevada in 1990 and a decades-long volunteer, stopped giving MADD money she raised from rural victim impact panels in 2008 after objecting to restrictions placed on the Nevada funds.

All first and second-time drunken-driving offenders must attend these panels, which range in cost from $35 to $50 per person. The money is then used on programs to curb drinking and driving.

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"We had $150,000 that was in the Nevada bank account at MADD national in Dallas that our volunteers had generated," Stadler said. "But I couldn't get authorization to do programing in Nevada. It was getting harder for us to get money back from Dallas."

Stadler now gives those funds, about $50,000 annually, to the Reno-based Northern Nevada DUI Task Force "to keep the money locally," she said.

And Sandy Heverly, a former MADD staffer in Las Vegas, severed ties with the organization about 15 years ago after the $140,000 she and others raised in Nevada during a telemarketing campaign were sent to MADD national headquarters.

"They came in and raped our state for $140,000 and sent me a check for $1.20," said Heverly, who founded the nonprofit group Stop DUI in Las Vegas.

She severed ties officially at a news conference at 1:20 a.m. on Dec. 31, 1993.

Dorene Englert, a MADD communications manager, said the dispute with Heverly occurred long before she and many others were involved with MADD and could not comment on what happened.

But Englert challenged Stadler's claim that MADD officials took money raised in Nevada and spent it elsewhere.

She said MADD collects money from various sources, including state chapters, and distributes it to states to supplement fundraising efforts. A portion of Nevada's funds came from that pool of money, she said, adding, "the money they have in the bank is not just what they raised."

Englert also said the Nevada MADD account currently is running a deficit and needs to bring in more money to continue funding programs.

"Our national board said no more deficit spending," Englert said. "We need to do everything we can to make sure our expenses and our resources are in line. If we don't, we'll spend ourselves into oblivion."

Stadler disagreed with Englert's assessment of Nevada's finances, saying the last financial statement she saw for MADD in Nevada showed more than $150,000 and the organization only ran a deficit after it hired a new employee.

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MADD staffers

After Heverly left in 1993, Nevada remained without a paid MADD employee until about 18 months ago when Linda Finch of Minden answered an advertisement MADD officials placed in a newspaper seeking an "assistant development director."

"I own a book store in Gardnerville and finances were bad, so I thought I would take a part-time job to help the store survive," Finch said.

She's allowed 20 hours per week.

Finch recruits volunteers and monitors municipal and justice courts to ensure that drunken drivers receive appropriate punishments, among other duties.

"My real job is to fundraise in Nevada because of the loss of income from the rural (victim impact panels)," she said, referring to the money that Stadler took from MADD and now gives to the DUI Task Force.

Finch also hosts panels in Douglas County and is setting one up in North Las Vegas. She does not work with victims and is prohibited from being a victim advocate until she goes through a weeklong training in Texas, she said.

Heverly, director of Stop DUI, is critical of what she says is a disconnect between MADD and drunken driving victims in Nevada. Victim advocacy is a huge part of her organization's duties, she said, and they pride themselves on the support they offer.

"We'll even pay a victim's rent if they need it," Heverly said. "MADD does not give one penny to help victims in that way. Victims need more than someone holding their hand and giving them a pamphlet."

Englert said Heverly's perspective is simply a difference of opinion.

"This is a common issue," Englert said. "From our perspective, our victim advocates are volunteers who provide time, energy and effort."

Instead of giving money, she said, the MADD teams help victims find resources in their community to help cover their needs.

"To (Heverly), direct compensation is the most help," Englert said. "We found that with our victims, having a dedicated victim advocate is more valuable."

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No keychains

Stadler had volunteered for MADD since 1990 and was never compensated for her efforts. She has traveled throughout Northern Nevada working with victims, hosting events, giving talks and performing countless other duties aimed at stopping drunken driving.

"For years, the only expense MADD had was a telephone line at my house," Stadler said. "Anything else that we generated, they kept. We were on a shoestring budget."

Things got worse in 2008, she said. Suddenly, it became even harder to get approval for programs she was running in Northern Nevada. But at the same time, a financial balance sheet for four months ending Oct. 31, 2008, showed that the MADD Nevada account contained $182,161.

"They cut back on the Safe and Sober program where high school students receive a small gift for graduating," she said. "They cut the materials we liked to give out at events -- merchandising that had MADD's message on it."

"It was a way to get our message into the hands of a lot of people for a minor cost."

Stadler said she always gave out key rings at the end of each panel discussion so the offenders had something in their hand to remind them of their crime.

"The key ring had a little container on it that could hold 50 cents," she said. "At the end of the talk, I would always remind them that next time they should use the 50 cents to call a cab and avoid all that they had to go through with their DUI."

"We thought it was a good message," she said. "It's the little things. But MADD said we couldn't give gifts to offenders."

Finally, Stadler said she met with Jim Holmes, chairman of the Northern Nevada DUI Task Force and agreed to move the victim impact panel money to his group.

Holmes said he understood her frustration, and welcomed her support.

Now, the funds raised in Northern Nevada through events connected with drunken driving are spent on a long list of activities, programs and equipment aimed at dissuading people from drinking and driving, and catching those who do, he said.

"Laurel was handcuffed," he said. "She worked her tail off -- a 100 percent volunteer -- but she had to send all of her money to Dallas."